St Dunstan in the East

The church of St Dunstan-in-the-East is located on St Dunstan's Hill, EC3 and is mentioned in Pevsner's "London: the City Churches" and John Betjeman's "The City of London Churches".

The original church was built around 1100 in the gothic style, but was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London. Rather than being completely rebuilt, the damaged church was patched up and a steeple, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, added. This was unusual in that Wren designed it in the gothic style to match the old church. There is a story that during a storm someone once hurried to tell Wren that all of his steeples had been damaged. 'Not St. Dunstan's,' he replied confidently. However, by the early 19th century the church was in a very poor state and was rebuilt by David Laing, with assistance by William Tite. Wren's steeple was retained in the new building.

St Dunstan's was severely damaged during the Second World War, and it was decided not to rebuild the church. However, Wren's tower and steeple survived intact and the tower and adjoining All Hallows house are now used as a complementary medicine centre (The Wren Clinic) and for occasional worship and healing services. Of the rest of the church only the north and south walls remain, and the City of London Corporation have turned the ruins into a public garden. A lawn and trees have been planted within the ruins and a fountain sits in the middle of the nave, creating one of the most beautiful public gardens in the City of London.

The church is now part of the parish of All Hallows by the Tower and occasional open-air gatherings are held here, such as on Palm Sunday prior to a procession to All Hallows along St Dunstan's Hill and Great Tower Street.